Rope-fastener



(No Model.) A. C. WARREN.

ROPE FASTBNBB..

l lill `IH mmww um m Nital) STATES PATENT Ormes.

ALEXANDER C. VARREN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 535,150, dated March 5,1895.

Application tiled May 4, 1894. Serial No. 510,048. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: p

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER C. WAR- REN, a citizen of the UnitedStates', residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRope-Fasteners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and-use thesame.

My invention relates to improvements in rope fasteners or clamps, theobjects in view being to provide a simple device whereby ropes may besecured to any fixtures, such for instance as a post, wall, fence, 85o.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in thefollowing descripY tion, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawingsz-Figure I is a perspective view of my improvedfastener. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the same.Fig. 3 is a plan View, the cam being shown in horizontal section. Fig. 4is a horizontal section of a modified construction of clamp. Fig. 5 is atop plan view of a second modification. Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view ofthe construction shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view ofthe form shown in Fig. 5.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of thedrawings.

For the purpose of illustrating the utility and applicability of myinvention, I have shown in Fig. l the same as adapted to serve as aclothes line fastener, although as willhere` inafter appear the clamp isnot limited to this use, but may be used for connecting ropes, holdinghammock ropes and for various other purposes.

In the present instance l indicates a securing plate which is designedto be applied to the wall of a house, a post, or other support, and forthe purpose of fastening has the usual screw-receiving openings formedin it. Cast integral with the plate 1 and extending horizontally andtherefore at a right angle thereto, is the arm 2 whose outer portion isrecessed at 3 producing in rear of the same a binding shoulder 4. Thisbinding shoulder 4 is eccen trically arranged and disposed with relationto a stud 6 in the recess, and has its upper edge flared or beveled asindicated at 5, the lower portion of the shoulder being perpendicular tothe bottom of the recess 3.

Mounted for rotation on a stud 6 is the binding cam '7. The face of thiscam is eccentric to the pivoted stud 6 and is adapted to lie parallelwith the eccentric shoulder 4 when a rope is clamped in the fastener.'The cam is provided with a radial shoulder 8 designed to contact with astop-stud or lug 9 with which the bottom of the recess 3 is provided.The cam 7 has the lower portion of its periphery parallel vertically tothe lower portion of the binding shoulder 4, and the upper half isprovided with a iiard flange lO which extends about three-fourths thecircumference of the cam and gradually approaches the vertical as itreaches the shoulder 8.

In use in order to insert a rope the cam is revolved until the shoulder8 rests against the stop-stud or lug 9, after which the rope may bereadily passed transversely into the space between the surfaces of thecam and shoulder 4, the bevel 5 of said shoulder facilitating suchpassage. One end of the rope, which I will call the fast end, it will beunderstood is preferably secured to a post or other support from whichit is desired to stretch the rope, and the rope between its ends isplaced between the cam and binding-shoulder as above stated. The looseend of the rope is then grasped by the hand of the operator andstrained, the travel of the rope being such as to cause the cam to bearat its shoulder 8 against the stop-lug. After a sufficient strain, aslackening of the loose end of the rope will cause the cam to partiallyrevolve in the opposite direction so that, as will be obvious, the ropewill be caught between the eccentric surface of the cam and that of theshoulder throughout their length, and the greater the strain upon therope the more tightly Will the eccentric surfaces clamp the same. The

dispositions of the two surfaces are such with relation to each otherthat the rope is clamped throughout the length of the eccentric shoulderwhereby undue wear upon the rope is prevented aud a secure hold isobtained. In order to loosen the rope it is simply necessary to drawupon the free end causing the cam IOO to reassu me the rst position,after which the rope may be readily slipped from over the cam.

It will be obvious that I have provided a very simple device, by meansof which ropes may be securely fastened without knotting and withoutdanger of injuring the same.

The principle of my invention may be ernbodied in various kinds offasteners for various purposes, as for instance as shown in Fig. 4wherein in lieu of the bracket composed of the securing plate 1 and arm2, I have illustrated a sheave or pulley block 11 the same having at oneend an eye 12 which'rnay be engaged over a hook or connected with a ropeas desired. Within the bifurcation of this block I produce the eccentricbinding or cam shoulder 13, and I also provide the stopstud or lug 14 atone side of the center of and within'the opening in the block. Upon apin 15 in said opening I seat for partial rotation the cam 16, the samehaving the radial stopshoulder 17 at the longest portion of the cam andat the shortest portion or that nearest the centera locking shoulder 18.The stop shoulder 17 is to abut against the lug 14, and the lockingshoulder 18 is to lock the cam in substantially this position.

I pivot at 19 at the end ofthe block between the parts 14 and 21 aU-shaped catch 2O the terminals of the same loosely embracing andadapted to vibrate at opposite sides of a lug 2l. The outer terminal ofthe catch forms a thumb piece and is normally pressed outward by meansof a spring 22 interposed between its inner face and the lug 21.

This style of fastener is especially designed for use upon hammock ropesor other ropes wherein it is desirable to have an adjustment and yet thenecessity of entire removalfis very infrequent. The operation of therope in connection with this form of fas tener is the same as in thefastener shown in Fig. 1 with the exception that the rope must be passedthrough endwise. It is desirable however, that some means be providedfor locking the cam in an open position during the adjustment of therope and it is for this purpose that I provide the catch 20. By thepresence of this catch the operator may by pressing the same inwardagainst the tension of the spring lock the cam open during theadjustment of the rope, and by subsequently removing the pressure thestrain upon the rope will rotate the cam in the direction of travel ofthe rope and permit the same to clamp the rope between its cam surfaceand that of the shoulder 13.

I have illustrated a second modification in Figs. 5 and 6 of thedrawings wherein the bracket 23 is the same as that shown in Fig. 1 andis provided with the Vpin 24. A roller or wheel 25 whose periphery isperpendicular to the surface of the bracket is arranged upon the pin andover the same a tlanged cam 26 is located, the same like the wheel beingloose upon the pin, and provided at one side with a depending bindingange 27 overlying the periphery ot' wheel 25. The rope is stretchedaround the wheel with no friction, but just before slackening the freeend of the rope the same is held against the surface of the bindingflange, causing the cam to revolve back when the rope is released,whereby the rope becomes pinched between the binding surface of thelange and the binding shoulder of the bracket.

By the term support =as employed in the claims, I mean either a bracketas shown in Fig. 1 wherein Athe same is stationary, or it may be afpulley block as shown in Fig. 4, the term therefore being generic tothesetwo constructions.

Having described my invention, what I clairn is- 1. In a rope-fastener,the combination with a support having a curved binding-shoulder, of acam pivoted eccentricallyto the support and provided with a radialstop-shoulder at its longest portion, a stop-lug arranged upon thesupport in the path of-the stop-shoulder, and means -for locking the camin an open position during the adjustment of the rope, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a rope'fastener, the combination with a support having a curvedbinding shoulder, of acam pivoted eccentrically to the support andhaving a cut-away portion forming two shoulders, a lugon said supportfor engagement with one shoulder and a catch pivoted on the support forengagement withthe other shoulder to lock thecam against rotation.

8. ln a rope fastener, the combination with a support having a curvedbinding shoulder provided with a bevel at its upper side to facilitatethe reception of the rope, of a cam pivoted eccentrically upon thesupport and with relationto the shoulder and provided with a radial stopshoulder at its longest portion and having the upper portion of itsbinding periphery shaped to conform to that of the binding shoulder, anda stop lug arranged upon the su pport inthe path of the stop shoulder ofthe cam, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER C. WARREN.

Witnesses:

EUGENE C. RAGE, A. E. M. LooHREN.

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